


The Past Haunts

by DarkJediQueen



Series: The Guardians [21]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Crossover, Death, Genocide, Graphic depictions of violence - Freeform, M/M, Science Fantasy, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-01 15:16:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15776700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkJediQueen/pseuds/DarkJediQueen
Summary: It's back to Mars and a trip into the past mentally for Spencer.





	The Past Haunts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rivermoon1970](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivermoon1970/gifts).



> **Year** : The Far Future
> 
> **Spoilers** : Destiny: Through D2: Warmind, Criminal Minds: Up Through Season 13, 
> 
> **Notes** : Trying my hardest to make sure that it'll make sense, with time, for people who don't play Destiny but you can find more information at the [Destiny Wikia](http://destiny.wikia.com/wiki/Destiny_Wiki).
> 
> **Warnings** : Graphic Depictions of Violence, Death, War, Genocide
> 
> **Beta** : Grammarly

Spencer looked over to where there was a crowd of people around the corner of the deck of the Tower. He ignored them though because he was trying to find Aaron. After their run that morning Aaron had slipped away from their room while Spencer had been still in the shower, cleaning up after their post-run sex in the shower. Spencer wondered if Aaron had gone into the Vanguard room for another telling off of Zavala. Spencer wasn't too proud to admit that he got a little aroused watching Aaron verbally own Zavala during the discussion of everything that happened while Spencer and Aaron had been running around the Reef, Mars, and Venus. Spencer had sat back and watched it all without saying a word. Ikora had tried a few times to interject something but had failed while Cayde just watched. Spencer was pretty sure if he had known, Cayde would have had popcorn with him to eat while watching the verbal sparring match. 

Turning to head that way, Spencer stopped when he heard that it was Shaxx that was talking in the corner. Something about the Crucible. Spencer decided that finding Aaron could wait. Spencer hadn't paid much attention to the Crucible. Spencer wasn't that kind of fighter. He could see the rest of his fireteam being in there, even JJ but Spencer didn't like fighting. It wasn't like he went hand to hand like Morgan did. Yes, Spencer used knives, but those were precision kills with them. Spencer was pretty sure though that Aaron was going to get him in there at some point. 

The crowd was getting bigger and bigger, but Spencer stayed at the edges of the area. Spencer felt someone at his back as Shaxx was talking about the three new areas on Earth that he been opened up for Crucible use. He almost turned with a knife in hand until he felt a hand go right to where Aaron had left a bruise the day before during sex. The bruise hadn't lasted long, but it was in a spot that usually wouldn't get a bruise. Aaron's hands had not strayed far from it, even after the bruise faded. 

"New places huh?" Spencer asked. 

"With the new surge in Guardians found and even with some of them starting to do patrols on other planets, we have enough to keep areas secure from the Fallen here on Earth again. We are turning the tide with the Darkness." Aaron's voice was soft to where only Spencer could probably hear it, it sent a shiver down Spencer's spine.

"And why did you run out while I was in the shower?"

"Saladin asked for me through GARCIA. He wanted to discuss starting up the Iron Banner at a later point in time."

"Iron Banner?"

"Think of it like Crucible but with big prizes at the end. New weapons and the like."

"Hotch, Reid," a voice called out, and they both turned to see that it was Master Rahool, the Cryptarch for the Tower. "Please, come with me."

Rahool turned around and started toward the Vanguard chamber. Aaron frowned but followed behind him. Spencer followed behind Aaron as they made their way across the deck and then down into the Vanguard chambers. 

"Guardians, welcome," Ikora said with a smile on her face. 

Cayde was grinning, and as always it was hard to tell what Zavala was doing as he was wearing his regular face. 

"With you break through the Exclusion Zone on Mars, it's opened up something that the Cryptarchs had wanted for a while," Rahool said. 

"You aren't Freehold?" Spencer asked. 

Rahool looked at Spencer with a keen eye. Spencer knew that he was going a little far on pushing that he didn't remember much about his past but it was going to be harder for here out in hiding that. 

"We do want Freehold, and the Cabal are close to destroying it. The lore of the past says that Freehold birthed technological wonders. We cannot let the Cabal destroy it."

"We haven't even taken back out planet, and you want us to make a beachhead into Cabal territory on another planet?" Aaron asked. 

"We need to know what is in Freehold, if for anything to stop the Cabal from taking it all." Zavala was staring at Aaron, and Spencer held in his smile. It wouldn't do for it to be known to Zavala that Spencer enjoyed watching it. 

"We barely understand the tech that we currently have."

"More and more Guardians are waking. There is something coming, and the Traveler knows it. It might be asleep, but it knew this was coming. We have to defend ourselves. We've been isolationists for too long." Ikora's voice was strong, and in that case, Spencer did agree with her. 

"We will go to Freehold."

"Just you, Guardian Hotchner," Zavala said. 

"What?" Aaron and Spencer asked at the same time.

"Aaron is not going anywhere without me."

"We need you here," Ikora said. 

"I think that Aaron needs him more than we do." Cayde sounded like he had been arguing that for a long time. "We can't know what his brain will tell us and making him try and force memories is not something that we need to do. Especially when he's going to be adverse to it, to begin with." 

"Let me explain," Ikora said. She turned to full face, Spencer. "We found information about a man named Spencer Reid who worked for BrayTech. We have seen a lot of people with the same names. There are only so many names and so many combinations of names but the chances of a man with that name popping up in a place that could do us good."

"What kind of good?" Aaron asked before Spencer could say a single thing. 

"We found out that Anastasia Bray and Spencer Reid were two of the people at the head a single project that has come to our attention," Zavala said. 

Spencer made sure that his face didn't move at all. He showed nothing. He was not acting like himself. Spencer wondered where they found a file that would have his and Ana's name on it. Golden Age tech was hit and miss, and it had to be one of the few printed reports. 

"Anastasia Bray died at Twilight Gap," Aaron said. 

"Yes, so that means that if this Spencer Reid is the same Spencer Reid, then we have a chance of getting what we want."

"What you want, Zavala," Cayde said. 

"Cayde," Ikora said. 

"Look, I know more than any single one of you what little memories do to the psyche. Forcing him to remember something can do more harm than good. I'm all for cockeyed plans and shit, but this is messing with a mind."

"What project?" Aaron asked. 

"Warminds," Ikora and Zavala said at the same time. 

"Ana Bray was a psycholinguist who helped develop the Warmind Rasputin that we have had a few dealings with. We want to understand Rasputin and see if we can use him."

Spencer wanted to spit out that Rasputin wasn't a weapon to be used like that but no one alive understood what they had tried to do with Rasputin. That would tell them that he knew and then he wouldn't be let out of the Vanguard room until he was interrogated. 

"You want to use an A.I. Warmind like a weapon?" Aaron asked. 

"I don't remember if that's me or not. I don't..." Spencer shook his head like he was trying to clear it. Aaron stepped up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. 

"You want me to go to Mars? I will, with Spencer. You are not going to interrogate him on something you know he might not ever remember a single word about. Or I can stay here, and I promise you that no one will separate me from him."

"Or us," a female voice said behind Spencer. Spencer knew that it was Prentiss and then there was growling. Helo and Luna were there as well. 

"Memories are tricky things," Rossi said. 

"You were not called to his meeting," Zavala said. 

"Well, I didn't like what I heard," GARCIA said. 

Spencer saw all six of them floating there in front of Spencer and Aaron. That meant everyone was there. 

"We Ghosts were a gift from the Traveler, and so it's the LIght. Only the Traveler knows why some Guardians remember their past lives and why some don't and it's not up to you to find out why," GARCIA said like she was saying the final word on it. She turned around. "Holliday has the Ceres cleared for launch. I'll be waiting there for the both of you."

Aaron looked at Zavala, and Spencer looked at him after a few seconds. Zavala nodded, but he seemed genuinely pissed. Spencer didn't care. Ikora and Cayde could soften the blow to him on how stupid he was for what he wanted. 

The whole of the fire team escorted them to their ship. 

"GARCIA will keep us informed on what Zavala says about all of this," Morgan said, and he gave Spencer a grin. "Whatever memories are locked in your head are yours. What we have learned about Rasputin, I don't want to start to try and use him, and then he turn on us. We don't know enough."

"Children playing with weapons they don't understand," Spencer said. He looked at each team member for a few seconds, and they all seemed happy except for Rossi. Rossi looked at Spencer like he knew that Spencer was lying but wasn't going to say a damned thing. Rossi gave Spencer wink before he turned to leave. Morgan and JJ followed behind him while Prentiss stood there. 

"Whatever you need, you've got," Prentiss said before she too left. 

"I brought your armor onto the ship already," Spencer's GARCIA said. 

"Good, let's go," Aaron said. 

Once on the ship, Spencer dropped down into the seat and set in the course that they needed to take once he got them into space. Aaron was silent as Spencer flew them out of the atmosphere. When there was only darkness in front of them, Aaron cleared his throat. Spencer had hoped that Aaron wouldn't ask about any of it. 

"We both know that you have more memories than you don't. Was your last project really Rasputin?" Aaron asked. 

"Yes but I have not been able to access anything on him to understand what is going on. There is also the fact that Rasputin is not on Earth."

"What?" Aaron asked. 

"Rasputin has a hub on Earth, and that part of him is active, but he's cut off from his other parts so if the rest of him is sleeping then we have a fractured part of a Warmind. I cannot do anything with Rasputin as he sits right now and with what knowledge I have."

"He's the one who put me in cryo, Spencer."

"What?" Spencer turned around in his seat to look at Aaron. 

"I am pretty damned sure that he is. I've been having dreams. Remembering what happened that day. I am fairly certain that it was him. He said that he was intrigued by me and that he wanted to keep me."

"I used to draw. I drew anything and everything when I was thinking. I would hand draw all of the plans for things." 

"Did you draw me?" Aaron asked. 

Spencer cocked his head to the side as he looked at Aaron. The words resonated inside of Spencer's mind. It was echoing. It was like a switch flipped in Spencer's mind. He remembered the drawings that he had never let anyone see. Not anyone who was living and breathing that was. Late nights talking to Rasputin

Spencer shoved himself up and out of his chair to walk over to his tablet. He pulled it from where his armor was piled and ready for him to put on. He found his folder of drawings that he had made of Aaron over the years since he had started to dream. He had never connected the man in his dreams before becoming Awoken to the same as after. "I thought that you were a figment of my imagination when I was growing up. Mother called the man in my dreams an imaginary friend. I don't understand why after I became what I am now I never put the two of your together. " Spencer turned the tablet around to show Aaron the drawings he had made of him through the years. 

"These are where I used to live, father's compound. I recognize that crack in the one wall." Aaron touched his finger to the screen to zoom in. "Rasputin saw these?"

"Yes. He was the only one. I always thought it weird to still dream of an imaginary friend long after I was a child, even with my intelligence I didn't want to be mocked for anything else. It makes me wonder about how long really I was changing before I became an Awoken. I, and others like me, assumed it was becoming Awoken that had given us these gifts but what if it was the Traveler, to begin with?"

"So Rasputin recognized me from the drawings you made of me and stuck me where I couldn't die, again."

"When we can get to where his main brain is on Mars and see what we have going on with him, maybe even try and get the rest of him online and connected to himself, I'll ask. He was enamored with Ana and I. We were his only friends and losing both of us at nearly the same time. I can see where he might have gone a little off. At least one of us was there with him all the time, and even when the other wasn't there, Rasputin could call us. He asked opinions on things that he saw other humans doing to each other, for each other. Sometimes he wanted my opinion and mine alone, other it was Ana's, and then the rest was both of ours."

"So where is he at on Mars?"

"Hellas Basin. We've not gone anywhere near that, and it's probably all claimed by nature at the minimum. Who knows what the Cabal have done to the area. None of the information that we have found has talked about it."

"Then let's see what the Cryptarchs want, and maybe we can get some more information on your friend before the Vanguard realize exactly who you are."

"Sure." 

Spencer walked back to the pilot's seat, and he watched Aaron out of the corner of his eye as he flipped through the drawings that Spencer had made. There was one of a young Aaron with an even younger boy. Spencer wondered if that was Sean. Spencer counted the page turns on the tablet, and when it got to the one that had the young boy, Aaron's eyes turned glassy. Spencer was pretty sure that it was Sean. Spencer typed out a message on the screen of the ship and tapped at GARCIA. She turned and read it, and she nodded. Spencer wanted one of them printed out and added to the room. Spencer couldn't give him much back from his life before he became a Guardian but he could give him a drawing of Sean. 

* * *

"The Cabal could have leveled this city," GARCIA said as Aaron and Spencer transmatted out of the ship and started to arrange their gear on their body the best way. 

"If they haven't brought it down yet, they have a reason," Aaron said.

Spencer agreed with him. And whatever reason that it was, it wasn't good for the people of Earth. 

"We should track them and see what they are after," GARCIA said. 

Spencer brought up the map on his helmet HUD and traced where they landed with there they needed to go. It was not that far really but the new name, The Hollows, left something to be desired. Spencer remembered what the place used to be and felt a pang of regret at the loss. There was so much that was done from the world, that the Darkness had taken from Humanity that Spencer wondered if any of the other people who were alive at the moment really understood what they had lost. 

The Hollows was easy to get to. Not far from what was becoming their standard drop point for Mars. The entrance was foreboding, black and a tunnel. Deeper and deeper they went on their Sparrows until there as natural light and not the weak glow from almost dead lights from the forgotten city. The opening out into the Hollowed was breathtaking to Spencer. He looked at places that he used to know well and wondered what survived from the inside. 

"GARCIA, scan for Cabal transmission," Aaron said as he got off his Sparrow to look around. 

"I've got something inside of building 5," GARCIA said, and she floated the direction that the building was in. The building had the Clovis Bray symbol on it. There was also a lot of Cabal outside of it. 

CLearing the Cabal was easy, but Spencer wondered if it was just a simple squad that had been patrolling outside or if it was a group that was set to protect it. 

"This whole area is a Bray facility isn't it?" Aaron asked as they started inside the building. 

"Yes." Spencer raised his gun because there was more red on the tracker. Spencer shot the first Psion that he saw and more air skated into sight. It was quick work of them and the few Legionaries that were in the area before they started to go up and deeper into the facility. 

"There is an active feed here. Let me listen." GARCIA floated up to a set of machines and started to expand and contract the parts of her body. "Looks like the Cabal have a recon team stationed at the top of the other skyscraper here."

"Must have found something interesting," Spencer said. He looked at Aaron. "Let's check out what survived." Spencer walked to the side of the building that was blasted out. He looked at the direction that GARCIA marked on his HUD and found that it was where he was thinking it was. He wanted to gut every single Cabal that was on Mars for what they were trying to do. Spencer turned and looked at Aaron before turning back and jumping out the window. 

"Dammit, Spencer," Aaron yelled before Spencer could hear him running and then following Spencer. 

Spencer made his way to the skyscraper and up around the side entrance. There were a few Cabal inside, and Spencer waited until Aaron was right there with him before he started to fire on them. Unlike most buildings in the area, the best stuff wasn't accessible by just going up the steps. There was a specific set of steps that could only be reached from down below. Spencer kind of hoped that security measures were not still in place. He didn't have his ID cards to get him into where he needed to go. GARCIA might have been able to hack, but Spencer wasn't going to place all his bets on that. 

"Clovis Bray. A center for scientific advancement. Interplanetary defense, AI development, research on the Traveler. This place could be a gold mine." 

"It could," Spencer said, agreeing only because he didn't want to disagree. Spencer knew what was housed in part of the facility, but he was a little afraid of what it would look like after so long under Cabal's hand and just from the ravages of time. "What do the Cabal call this area?"

"Dust Palace," GARCIA said. 

Spencer couldn't agree more. It was a palace filled with dust, but it was a palace only to people like Guardians and the Cabal who wanted tech to wipe out the other. To Spencer, it was a graveyard of the people that humanity used to be. That had all been wiped out when the arrival of the Darkness. Before they could get where they needed to go, they needed to cross a large open area room with a lot of Cabal in it. 

On the far side was precisely what Spencer was looking for. The tunnel still had light in it, and that meant that security could be active. There was more Cabal in the area that they needed to go. Aaron stayed back to snipe at the ones while Spencer engaged the others. The lower section of the winding way up was cleared in just a few minutes. Spencer stepped into the room and there felt like a storm was brewing. He stepped back just as Vex started to spawn in. Minotaurs, Goblins, and HObgoblins appeared, and more Cabal came down from the upper areas to try and take them out. 

"You focus on the Vex, Aaron, I'll work on the Cabal," Spencer said. 

"Sounds like a plan to me."

It was a battle the entire way up. They would take out one set of each fighting enemies, and more would be on the next level, but finally, they made it to the floor that they needed. There was a lot more and even stronger Cabal up there which told Spencer that they Cabal knew at least a little bit of what they were after. Those in the room took a few minutes to clear out, but they did it. 

Spencer walked toward the terminal that he wanted to check but stopped when he heard something. Turning around, Spencer saw a group of Cabal coming at them from the side room. One of them was massive and had a shield around his body. Spencer's HUD popped up with what he was. A Major Centurian with the name of Bracus Tha'aurn. Aaron's first shot at him with the sniper rifle didn't drop his shield. Spencer frowned because that meant that he had a lot of on him than normal ones did. Spencer picked a frag grenade from his belt and tossed it at the Centurion before he also concentrated on getting his Void grenade ready to toss. Bracus focused on Spencer, and the smaller level Cabal with him did too. 

The fight was long and hard with more of the smaller level Cabal coming out at one point and allowing Bracus's shield to regenerate but when the Cabal Major was falling to the ground dead, Spencer slumped to the ground, a little bit worn out. 

"This machine is still active," GARCIA cried out after a few minutes. "I'm going to analyze it."

Spencer forced his head to look over at her. 

"Don't hack it," Spencer said. 

"What?" GARCIA asked as she turned around to face Spencer. She looked like she was in the middle of a massive pout and that Spencer had ruined her day. She turned back to the terminal.

"I mean it, GARCIA. Don't touch it."

"You take all of my fun."

"I would rather not have to find a new Ghost," Spencer said as he forced himself up to his feet to walk over to her. He removed his glove and looked down at the slight scar that was on his hand. He was pretty sure that the glove wasn't going to mess with the chip in his palm, but he wasn't sure that he wanted GARCIA to know that it wasn't a biometric system. He placed his palm on the screen and heard the beep that allowed him access. "This AI once connected to the WArmind of Mars."

"Oh," GARCIA said. 

Spencer knew from the little bit of research that he had done that the Vanguard thought that each planet had a Warmind and not the truth that it was one massive Warmind. He would allow them all to think that for a while until he was able to understand what was up with Rasputin. 

The readout popped up, and Spencer saw that it was in Rasputin's language that he had developed with Ana and Spencer. No one else had known about it. That Rasputin was using it at that moment was telling. He either knew precisely who Spencer was or he was trying to throw whoever had Spencer's chip off course. Spencer didn't engage like he wanted to. He looked at Aaron instead. 

"Rasputin's controlling it. I can't get in. The good news is that neither could the Cabal. Rasputin's everywhere now."

Rasputin's voice started to seep from the speakers in the room. He was speaking the very Russian sounding language that was the base of their secret language. It was nonsense, telling Spencer that he was trying to be creepy. Sometimes Spencer wanted to curse precisely how lifelike Ana was able to make him. 

"I'm not stupid you know," GARCIA said. 

"Never said that you were." Spencer turned around to face her. 

"Biometrics after this long, that screen would be damaged enough to where it wouldn't work. I also know of the chip in your palm. I've never been able to figure it out what exactly what it was."

"It's my access to everything that I need to access to do my job at BrayTech."

"So you do have all of your memories of programming Rasputin."

"I do. I have every single memory of everything I did in my former life. I am not sure what kind of mental status Rasputin has at the moment, so I don't want to court war with the Warmind. He's shown no interest in doing anything, and I still don't have good records on what he did before he became isolated to each world."

"Guns in the hands of children," Aaron said. 

"Yes. He's either playing a very long game with the Vanguard and me out of boredom or for another reason, and until I can get to where I need to go to access the whole of him, I think it's best that the fact that I am that Spencer Reid is kept from the Vanguard."

"So many secrets around you, Spencer Reid and I am not sure that anyone is going to like it when they all finally come out," GARCIA said. 

"They might not but they are my secrets and they no one else's to control."

"Let's go back and disappoint Master Rahool," Aaron said. 

Spencer nodded and looked around the room. There was going to be a journey back to where they had started, just to be safe because there were too many Cabal around but still, Spencer felt at home again, honestly at home. 

There was a lot coming and a lot that needed to be done before Spencer could rest, but for now, he would go home, settle in with his lover and see about reading a few books he hadn't read in a few hundred years. 

# The End

**Author's Note:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to stress over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story! 
> 
> I can be found on Facebook, [here](https://www.facebook.com/darkjediqueen) & my writing page is [here](https://www.facebook.com/darkjediqueenlair). 
> 
> Sign-ups for authors and artists have begun for Every Fandom Big Bang, which accepts pairings from any fandom! Our motto is "Your fandom fits our bang!" The story minimum word count is only 5K with no max. For more information or to sign up go to [Every Fandom Big Bang](https://everyfandombangs.wordpress.com) on WordPress. Stories can be posted here. So, if you don't have a WordPress account it's not a big deal.


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